How to be a good roommate

by George Boria-Staff Writer

Tue, Sep 5th 2017 05:00 pm

Photo taken by Emma Misiaszek/PHOTO EDITOR Students walk back to their dorms.

Most people have not kept in contact with all of the friends they made in first grade, because whether it's pleasant to admit it or not, friendships are made and they are broken. As people get older, this only becomes more common, as people find their respective niches in life. As on-campus college students, people end up living with others they have never lived with before and most would like the experience to go as smoothly as possible.

An article written for The Daily Californian by Tiffany Gong sums it up well: "You don't need to be lifelong friends with your roommate, but you also don't want next semester to start off with squabbling."

The first step in maintaining a friendly relationship with them is to develop one to begin with. Do not be afraid of starting a relationship with a roommate. Remember: all friends were once strangers. When starting a friendship with them, the same things that led to becoming friends with any other friend can apply equally, with the exception that at the end of the day, roommates sleep in the same room.

According to the fastweb.com article on student life titled, "The 7 Rules of Being a Good Roommate" by Jamie Vincent, there are certain things that should be considered common sense when maintaining a healthy relationship with roommates, but some things are not so obvious. These "rules" include friendly advice like not being too noisy or turning on lights when they're asleep. Other things to remember that might not be taken into consideration are:

1. Keep the room clean.

2. Respect their privacy and their possessions. Don't cross boundaries.

3. Don't be overstimulating. If they are trying to sleep, let them. If your roommate is trying to study, let them.

4. Don't kick them out. Sure, the sock on the door works in the movies but if it's not agreed upon beforehand, it's just rude.

5. Don't raid their food, at least without their permission.

6. Just be friendly. Go to dinner at the dining hall together sometimes, watch something in the common room or play ping pong. Just do something with them and don't act like a stranger.

Everything done in your room should be discussed thoroughly before any changes or plans involving the room are made. It's a shared space that everyone is paying to be in. Respect each other. If both roommates stick to the basic idea of being sane and humane people who are friendly and sociable while also respecting each other's limits, it won't be too hard to enjoy their company. If you do have an issue, Education Corner suggests that you "nip it in the bud" before the problem becomes any bigger.